Years ago, the war in Siancong ended, in a shattering, emotionally wrenching disaster few remember. And today, all the secrets buried from then have come alive to menace the present. What drew the Marvels to Siancong? What drove them out? And what was behind it all? The Avengers, Lady Lotus and more star in the earth-shaking climax of a conflict that never truly died - one that sends the present-day story barreling toward its fateful climax.
Rated T
The latest chapter of Kurt Busieks ensemble adventure steps away from the perspective of its super-powered protagonists to explore the history of the enigmatic Siancong conflict. Busiek and artist Yildiray Cinar combine their efforts to tell a story which spans across years of Marvel history, combining geopolitical conflicts with an impressive knowledge of comic continuity in a tasteful fashion. Read Full Review
Pacing has been one of my bigger problems with The Marvels lately and issue #9 doesn't do a whole lot to change that criticism. Read Full Review
Nice retcon excitement. Doesn't seem problematic too much. Neat touch with Dr. "STRANG" being a mishearing. Any real problems to be discovered would drastically lower my rating.
Yet another issue primarily focused on setting up more backstory for a new character. I'm a sucker for the way Kurt Busiek plays with the lesser known toys of the Marvel Universe. I enjoyed this issue, but I can't help but feel that the pace is remarkably slow for a series that I have a feeling isn't going to continue much longer.
From the moment I heard about Siancong, I knew it was a bad idea: Because it opens the door to comics like this. Too realistic to be a good fantasy, too fantastic to be history; instead, it's just a big swampy mess. It wants to be morally gray while also leaning on simplistic, melodramatic character motivations.
The Vietnam War is complicated enough. You don't turn it into a clear story by fictionalizing it, giving it a fuzzy timeline, adding magic and superheroes, and further gumming up the works with an unwieldy number of continuity callbacks. (Maybe if we all chipped in to buy Kurt Busiek a fancy "Master Marvel Scholar" certificate he'd get back to writing lean, tight stories.)
At least the art's nice. And I remain more
© 2024
/9_medium.jpg)
Prev
